(Linnaeus, 1767)
Two-tailed Pasha
Description:
With the whimsical patterning on the undersides of its wings and elegant little tails, the Two-tailed Pasha is one of the most beautiful European butterflies. It breeds in warm, dry places with many shrubs and trees where its food plant, the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) is mostly abundant. The males defend their territory fanatically, attacking other insects. The butterflies can often be seen feeding on the juices of rotting fruit, such as figs, and are also attracted to alcoholic drinks. They are strong flyers, often roaming into areas where their food plant is absent.
The Two-tailed Pasha has mostly two broods a year, and in some places possibly three. It hibernates as a caterpillar and pupates suspended from the food plants. On Gibraltar, Samos and Cyprus, it also uses other food plants.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Phrygana vegetation
Sclerophyllous scrub
Similar species:
Unmistakable